1. extreme physical or mental suffering
極度的身體或精神痛苦
He was in agony after breaking his leg.
他摔斷腿後痛苦不堪。
The patient cried out in agony.
病人痛苦地大叫。
Agony Meaning（定義、用法、例句與發音）
agony
noun
快速理解
What does "Agony" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Agony"?
指極度痛苦，可以是身體上的劇痛或精神上的折磨。
- 1
劇烈疼痛
EN: extreme physical pain
翻譯: 指身體上極度、難以忍受的疼痛。
- 2
精神折磨
EN: intense mental suffering or distress
翻譯: 指精神上極度的痛苦、煎熬或折磨，如悲傷、焦慮或內疚。
- 3
掙扎過程
EN: a difficult or painful struggle
翻譯: 指經歷困難、痛苦或充滿不確定性的掙扎過程。
小提醒：注意 'agony' 強調的是極度痛苦，程度比一般的 'pain' 或 'suffering' 強烈得多。
發音（How to Pronounce "Agony" in English）
How to pronounce "Agony" in English?"Agony" US vs UK pronunciation
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Agony" from YouTube Videos
James Kunstler: How bad architecture wrecked cities
TED
“And that's the great non-articulated agony of suburbia and one of the reasons that it lends itself to ridicule, Because it hasn't delivered what it's been promising for half a century now.”
(1 out of 2)
Definitions（定義）
What are the definitions of "Agony"?How does "Agony" change by context?
2. a state of intense struggle or anxiety, especially before a decision
強烈的掙扎或焦慮狀態（尤指做決定前）
She went through agony trying to decide which job offer to accept.
她在決定接受哪份工作時經歷了極大的煎熬。
The agony of waiting for the test results was unbearable.
等待考試結果的煎熬令人難以忍受。
3. the final stages of a difficult or painful situation
困難或痛苦局面的最後階段
The team suffered the agony of defeat in the final seconds.
球隊在最後幾秒鐘嚐到了失敗的痛苦。
The agony of their divorce lasted for years.
他們離婚的痛苦持續了數年。
Grammar & Patterns（句型）
What are common sentence patterns for "Agony"?How to make natural sentences with "Agony"?
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| in agony | 處於極度痛苦中 | He was in agony after the accident. (事故後他處於極度痛苦之中。) |
| agony of + noun (e.g., doubt, indecision) | ...的痛苦 | She went through the agony of waiting for the test results. (她經歷了等待檢測結果的痛苦煎熬。) |
| be in agony over + noun/gerund | 為...而痛苦萬分 | The parents were in agony over their missing child. (父母為失蹤的孩子痛苦萬分。) |
| endure/suffer agony | 忍受/遭受劇痛 | The patient had to endure great agony before the medication took effect. (病人在藥物生效前不得不忍受巨大的痛苦。) |
| cry/scream/writhe in agony | 痛苦地哭喊/尖叫/扭動 | The wounded soldier writhed in agony on the ground. (受傷的士兵在地上痛苦地扭動著。) |
| mental/emotional agony | 精神/情感上的痛苦 | The betrayal caused him deep emotional agony. (背叛給他帶來了深刻的情感痛苦。) |
| sheer/pure agony | 純粹的、極度的痛苦 | Listening to the off-key singing was sheer agony. (聽那走調的歌聲純粹是一種折磨。) |
用法說明
How is "Agony" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Agony"?
agony in vs. agony of
- agony in 通常用於描述身體某個部位所感受到的劇烈疼痛。介系詞
in後面接的是疼痛的部位。 - agony of 則多用於描述某種特定類型或原因的痛苦，這種痛苦可以是生理的，但更多是心理或情感上的。
of後面接的是痛苦的性質或來源。 - 簡單區分：
agony in + 身體部位；agony of + 抽象名詞（如心碎、等待、嫉妒）。 EN: She cried out in agony in her injured leg. 翻譯: 她因受傷的腿傳來劇痛而大叫。
EN:He suffered the agony of defeat in silence.
翻譯:他默默地承受著失敗的痛苦。
總結建議
描述身體部位的劇痛用 agony in，描述抽象或根源性的痛苦則用 agony of。
易混淆對比
What is the difference between "Agony" and similar words?How to choose "Agony" vs alternatives?
agony vs pain
「agony」強調極度、難以忍受的痛苦，常帶有精神折磨或劇烈掙扎的意味；「pain」則泛指各種程度、各種類型的疼痛或不適，使用範圍更廣。
agony vs suffering
「agony」通常指痛苦的高峰或爆發點，是強烈而集中的；「suffering」則指一段時間內持續承受的痛苦或苦難，範圍更廣、時間更長。
agony vs distress
「agony」的程度遠比「distress」強烈，指極度的痛苦；「distress」則指因問題、壓力或困難引起的苦惱、憂慮，程度相對較輕。
口語用法
How is "Agony" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Agony"?
引述
用於引述自己或他人經歷的極度痛苦，常與動詞如 be in、go through 連用。
EN: I was in absolute agony after the surgery for the first two days.
翻譯: 手術後的頭兩天，我簡直痛不欲生。
EN:She went through the agony of losing her job and her home in the same month.
翻譯:她經歷了在同一個月內失去工作和住所的巨大痛苦。
語氣強調
常與 sheer、pure、absolute 等詞連用，誇張地強調某種不愉快或困難的狀態。
EN: Waiting for the test results was sheer agony.
翻譯: 等待檢測結果的過程純粹是一種折磨。
EN:It's pure agony trying to get the kids ready for school on time.
翻譯:要讓孩子們準時準備好上學簡直是活受罪。
停頓填充
在非正式對話中，有時會用 the agony! 或 what an agony! 作為一種戲劇性的停頓或感嘆，表達對瑣事的不耐煩。
EN: Oh, the agony of deciding what to watch tonight!
翻譯: 唉，決定今晚看什麼真是種煎熬啊！
EN:What an agony! I have to redo the entire report because the file got corrupted.
翻譯:真是折磨人！因為檔案損毀，我得把整份報告重做一遍。
正式寫作注意：在學術或正式商業寫作中，應避免使用帶有戲劇性、誇張口語色彩的 agony，建議改用更中性的詞彙，如 severe distress、intense pain 或 great difficulty。
常見短語
What common collocations use "Agony"?What fixed phrases with "Agony" should I remember?
in agony
be in agony
處於極度痛苦之中
prolonged agony
prolonged agony
漫長的痛苦；持續的折磨
agony of
the agony of [noun/gerund]
…的痛苦
scream in agony
scream/writhe/cry in agony
痛苦地尖叫/翻滾/哭泣
agony aunt
agony aunt/uncle
（報刊上的）答讀者問專欄作家；心靈導師
mental agony
mental/emotional agony
精神上的痛苦；內心煎熬
agony column
agony column
（報刊的）讀者來信諮詢專欄
pile on the agony
pile on the agony
雪上加霜；使情況更糟（尤指誇大痛苦以博取同情）
常見錯誤
What are common mistakes with "Agony"?Which "Agony" sentences look correct but are wrong?
×I have an agony in my stomach.
✓I have a stomachache. / I am in agony from a stomachache.
"Agony" 是不可數名詞，通常不與不定冠詞 "a/an" 連用。它指的是極度痛苦本身，而非具體的疼痛部位。表示身體某部位疼痛，應使用 "ache" 或 "pain"。
×The agony of waiting for the results were unbearable.
✓The agony of waiting for the results was unbearable.
主詞是單數不可數名詞 "agony"，因此動詞應使用單數形式 "was"。
×She felt very agony.
✓She was in (great) agony. / She felt agonized.
"Agony" 是名詞，不能直接受副詞 "very" 修飾。應使用 "in agony" 這個片語，或使用形容詞 "agonized" 或 "agonizing"。
×He cried because of the physical agony.
✓He cried out in (physical) agony.
表達「因痛苦而...」時，更地道的說法是使用 "in agony" 作為狀態，或 "from agony" 表示原因。"because of the physical agony" 文法正確但不自然，且 "agony" 本身已隱含極度痛苦，通常不需特別加上 "physical"。
×It's an agony to see you suffer.
✓It is agony to see you suffer. / It is agonizing to see you suffer.
同樣基於 "agony" 是不可數名詞，在 "It is... to..." 句型中，不應使用不定冠詞 "an"。或者，可以使用形容詞 "agonizing" 更為自然。
詞形變化
What are the word forms of "Agony"?What are tense/participle forms of "Agony"?